


Once, and then again

by OpinionatedArtist



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, Adult Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Adult Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Powers, College, Confident Marinette Dupain-Cheng, F/M, Fashion & Couture, Fluff, Marchesa - Freeform, Mentioned Alya Césaire and Nino Lahiffe, Oblivious Adrien Agreste, everyone has graduated, i hope yall like it, this is based on a visual idea i had first and then wrote
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-02-26 10:06:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18714853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OpinionatedArtist/pseuds/OpinionatedArtist
Summary: Marinette Dupain Cheng thought she was done pining over Adrien Agreste when she accepted a scholarship to FIT in New York, but when a special outing with a professor leads to their paths crossing again. Things fall into place in a way Marinette never could’ve dreamed of.





	1. Is that who I think it is?

Marinette Dupain Cheng had dreamed about kissing Adrien Agreste countless times when she was a teen, but none of those fantasies came even close to describing how it actually happened.

At the time, Marinette was in her 3rd year studying at The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and she was thriving. She had quickly become a top student in her department, she had friends around the world, and she was very close with her professors. This was how she found herself in this beautiful park watching a photo shoot unfold.

One of her favorite professors, Hans Andersen, had invited her to spectate a photo shoot he was overseeing for Marchesa and New York Fashion Week. The photo shoot was for the launch the first in a series of ads themed around falling in love with New York Fashion Week. The campaign’s goal was to draw in bigger crowds and create more interest in Marchesa’s fall new clothing line by creating a series of ads telling the story of a couple in love. The photographer and the models had all been flown in just for this shoot. The location was really something to behold. They had somehow timed it so that the trees were filled with soft pink blossoms and the loose petals blew around a central fountain in a gentle breeze.

Marinette could hardly contain her excitement. This was her first time getting to see her professor work in person. Marinette stood to the side of her professor wanting to make sure she kept out of the way. Or at least that was her plan until a group of upset workers came over to them. The Producer, a tall and scrawny man called Andrew who was very clearly trying to keep things under control addressed Hanz first “Hans, I’m afraid we have a bit of a problem”

The Photographer, Vincenzio stepped forward immediately, almost cutting Andrew off, “It’s not just a bit of a problem! This is a HUGE Issue! I am flying back to Milan tomorrow morning to work for Valentino. You know you can not just cancel on Valentino.”

“Excuse me,” Lauren, the production coordinator cut in, “I just received a call from Kagami’s Agent and their plane made an emergency landing in Colorado, the next flight they can get leaves in two hours”

“Well, that will not work! Hans, we simply must find someone else or we will have to cancel. I can not keep Valentino waiting!” Vincenzio cried.

Andrew stepped forward, gesturing for everyone to stop “Now, everyone, please calm down. We are in New York City, I am sure there is no shortage of replacement models around.”

“Now there's a thought” Hans stated. “ I’ll start calling for replacements, surely we can have someone here within an hour.” the production coordinator said, already on the phone.

While Marinette was watching everything unfold, Adrien Agreste arrived.

Adrien and Natalie crossed the park heading to hair and wardrobe. As they passed the circle of panicked crew members “Natalie,” Adrien asked, “Will you go see what’s going on over there, and let them know I am here?”

Natalie excused herself fell behind into the group. Adrien was pretty familiar with the layout of photoshoots, as he has been modeling since he was only 14. What surprised him was not the layout, but the familiar tall willowy girl with black silky hair and brilliant blue eyes. She was holding some papers to the side of the squawking group, clearly connected to it in some way. If Adrien didn’t know any better he’d think she was his old classmate Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Adrien chuckled to himself, now that was a ridiculous thought. Marinette may have gone off to school to study design, but she was in Paris. This must be some other girl.

Marinette did not intend to stare at the group as they attempted to problem solve, but it was fascinating. She made a note to herself that should she get this far, that she should always keep a list of backups just in case. Marinette had only just touched the tip of her pen to the paper when the Photographer spotted her through the cluster of stressed people. His sudden intense direction parted the sea as he approached her. “What is your name, my dear? He asked.

“Marinette,” she said, a little startled.

The group of people all seemed to be suddenly zeroing in on her.

“And what do you do here?” he asked “Ummm… well... I” Marinette started with her classic stuttering.

“She is one of my best students,” Hans said with a smile, “and she is here observing,” “Perfect!” exclaimed Vincenzio “What size are you darling?”

By the time Marinette had finished listing off her measurements, the world had already been set in motion again. The production coordinator handed Marinette a quick digital contract and a media release to sign, while the producer was introducing her to the crew and briefing her on what was happening.

It was at this time that Adrien Agreste exited hair and makeup, walked over to the fountain, and took a seat where he was supposed to be modeling. For this shoot, he was dressed in a perfectly tailored white tee, and plain blue jeans, carrying a leather jacket over his shoulder, the classic effortlessly cool look. There seemed to still be a bit of activity, so Adrien scanned the crowd until he found Natalie’s face. When she saw Adrien she once again excused herself and walked over to him. “So what’s up?” Adrien asked.

“The shoot is currently, running 10 to 15 minutes behind, Kagami’s flight was delayed, but it seems they have found a replacement and everything should be up and running shortly,” she said.

Adrien nodded and Natalie walked back over to the sidelines. Adrien didn’t mind the break, he so rarely got any time outside of what was scheduled when he was on trips for modeling. He relaxed and let himself enjoy the beautiful scenery, it was definitely one of the best parts of modeling on location. He let his mind wander and stopped to the girl he passed on the way in. He could’ve sworn she looked just like Marinette Dupain Cheng, but taller. Marinette could be taller now, right? It had been almost 3 years since they graduated. But wait, he reminded himself, Marinette wouldn’t be in New York. She was definitely still in France. Adrien set a reminder on his phone to see they could catch up when he got back to Paris, Marinette was a good listener, and he missed her friendly face.

A few more minutes passed before a group of people began to approach the fountain swarming a girl walking in a stunning red dress. It was part of Marchesa’s newest line and the central focus of the ad. It was a scarlet red dress, that would have been a one-shoulder dress had it not included a single heavily embellished spaghetti strap on the other side. The fabric was light and wispy and there were fabric flowers in the same color all around the neck and hem of the skirt. The last touch-ups were made and as the crew left her Adrien had only one thought: It's her.

“Marinette?”

“Marinette Dupain- Cheng?”

Every Alarm bell went off in Marinette Dupain Cheng’s brain as the team of stylists had cleared to reveal her old school crush, Adrien Agreste. And then he said her name, twice.

Marinette mentally slapped herself out of it, and took a seat next to him, “Hi, long time no see,” she said shyly.


	2. The Photo Shoot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette encounters Adrien at the photoshoot and shit goes down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all the only reason this chapter took so long to publish is that I am a very slow digital artist. I hope you agree that the wait was worth it. 
> 
> Thank you for all the support! I am so happy people are enjoying the story. 
> 
> I really wanted to put out a Miraculous story inspired by the fashion industry since I actually am invested in designer fashion and it seems like a lot of other fics don't have that background built in.

While she was mostly over her crush on him, it was still a shock to the system to see him in New York City. The last time she had seen Adrien was probably the summer after graduation. Marinette had been originally planning on attending a smaller Parisian fashion school when she was accepted last minute to F.I.T. with a generous scholarship. It was an offer that Marinette could not say no to. Paris was her home, but New York was her playground. In New York, Marinette had met students studying design from cultures across the globe! She had learned so much more than she could have ever dreamed of, from her classmates alone. Marinette loved both Cities, but New York had been a jump start to her career.

 

“It’s really you..” Adrien had started to say to Marinette but he was interrupted by the Photographer who began to pose them.

Vincenzio had Marinette slide her legs away from Adrien, keeping her torso facing the camera, but leaning and turning her head turned towards Adrien. Next, he had Adrien slide his legs slightly out to the side, holding the leather jacket over his shoulder and turning his torso and face towards Marinette. They both heard and saw the flash as the camera began snapping pictures. Then more specific instructions began to come.

“Miss look at him like he is more important to you then he’ll ever know. That’s it! You’re a natural. Now Adrien if you could give us your best you are my whole world look. Good... Good. Now, this ad is about deep love so you both need to look more intoxicated by the other person. Show me the desire.”

Marinette felt the heat rise to her cheeks as she began to look directly at Adrien, only to find he was looking back at her with a sense of aw. She briefly turned her head away before she caught herself. She could do this. She could look at Adrien. This was a job and she was helping her professor, she reminded herself. Ever so gently, she turned back to face him, and slowly worked her eyes up from his shirt to meeting his endless green eyes. They were just as magical as she remembered them being.

Meanwhile, Adrien was trying his hardest not to be distracted by Marinette. She had really grown into herself since he’d last seen her. She was still fairly small be able to fit into that dress, but no longer looked as scrawny or breakable as she did in high school. And the dress fit her perfectly. Her makeup was relatively demure by American standards, the boldest part being her bright red lips. They had taken her hair and curled it, leaving two silky wisps by her face. She had a soft blush to her face that made her freckles positively adorable, but what really drew him in was her beautiful and bright blue eyes. They seemed to sparkle on their own. With a hint of ferocity, he noticed as she fully met his eyes.

Neither Marinette nor Adrien knew just how long they looked at each other before the frustrated sound of the photographer caused them to break eye contact. The photographer motioned to the Producer who nodded and said

“You two are doing great and I think we’re close, but this is not quite it. For the next few if you…”

“Marinette” someone supplied.

“Marinette” he continued “Could you hold onto Adrien’s face.”

Marinette looked at Adrien questioningly, but when she saw his eyes, she knew it was okay. She shakily reached her hand up to hold his face, but it was still too gentle for this shoot.

“You both need to be more fierce in this,” the Producer said. “In the next few shots, I want you to kiss him as if you’ve only ever wanted to kiss him.”

 

It was at this moment that everything changed.

 

Marinette had never thought her first kiss with Adrien Agreste would be like this, but she wasn’t about to skip this opportunity. Without any of her earlier hesitation she grabbed his shirt with her spare hand and pulled him forward until suddenly, their lips crashed together. Much like a wave finally reaching the shore, Marinette pulled Adrien towards her, still with her hand on his face. Desperate for that which she had so long been deprived of. In this moment she finally stole her first kiss with Adrien.

The camera flashed about 5 times during their kiss, first getting the momentum before their lips met, the initial surprise of Adrien, the moment they both lost themselves, the moment when Marinette began to pull back, and the moment they parted. It was this last moment that ended up being used for the final ad. In the final photo, you can see the almost smug, delighted face Marinette made when breaking the kiss, while Adrien, still not having moved back from her initial pull forward, sits shocked and enraptured, melting ever so slightly.

They were instructed to kiss about 5 more times before the photographer claimed they had what they needed. Each kiss more firey and passionate than the last. In the final kiss, Adrien had to set his jacket down for stability and reached forward to grab Marinette's waist.  
And then, as if nothing had happened, everyone was swept away and the photo shoot ended. Marinette and Adrien were each pulled to different changing rooms as the shoot was taken down.

After changing out of the beautiful dress and admiring its stitching, Marinette looked at her phone and saw she was dangerously close to being late for her next class. She quickly put on her normal clothes, a white silk blouse with a black ribbon around the neck, and a pair of dark blue high rise jeans, as fast as possible. She quickly bid her professor goodbye as she dashed out to the nearest subway. She had just kissed her first crush! Multiple Times!! In front of Her Professor!!! Better to dwell on that later, Marinette thought as she ran down the subway stairs, a blush still covering her cheeks.

Adrien saw Marinette hurrying away before he even had the chance to talk to her. He would have tried to chase after her, just to suggest that they try and meet for coffee and catch up, but Natalie was already at his side, directing him to the next thing on his schedule. Adrien decided then and there, that he would find a way to reach her.  
“Natalie,” he said, “Could you find contact information for Marinette? She’s an old school friend of mine, but we’ve lost touch. ”  
“I will see what I can do,” Natalie said.

Adrien pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Nino.

Adrien: Bro, you will never guess who I just ran into ;)

If he was going to be in New York for Fashion Week, Adrien would have time to find Marinette.


	3. the Ad and the aftermath

As it turns out, getting a hold of Marinette was more difficult than Adrien expected.

Adrien hadn’t been planning on being so desperate to find Marinette, but it had been 3 days and he couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss. It was absolutely breathtaking. Marinette had always had been beautiful before, sure. But just thinking about her in that dress brought a blush to his face. And then there were her kisses. Each one had sent his heart soaring. Adrien had kissed for the camera before, but this was entirely different. Kissing Marinette had made him feel like the whole world fell away. She had pulled him forward. She was both gentle and fierce. She was sensational. Adrien wanted to believe that his motives for wanting to catch up with Marinette were completely innocent, but there was a part of him, however small, (it was not that small) that craved more of her kisses.

Marinette, on the other hand, had been very busy. She had barely made it on time to her class after the photoshoot. Running in at the last minute and practically falling into her seat. The thing about studying a field that required a lot of hands-on work was that classes were always significantly longer. This design class, in particular, was 3 hours and 30 minutes long, twice a week. Missing a class made it extremely difficult to catch up on your work, and design deadlines were coming up quickly. This assignment was to have completed all designs sketches, with rough pattern plans, and material selections for approval by the second class next week. If Marinette got the go-ahead, she could get a much-needed headstart on her ambitious Paris inspired line. As much as Marinette wanted to replay kissing Adrien over and over again in her head, she had more important and stressful things to think about for the next week.

Nino finally got back to Adrien on the 4th day after the photoshoot.  
Nino: Sorry I missed your text bro, what's up?  
Adrien: Nino  
Adrien: I was working on a photo shoot in New York and guess who I ran into?  
Adrien: Marinette Dupain-Cheng of all people!!!  
Adrien: Can you believe it!  
Adrien: I didn’t even know she was in New York!  
Nino: LOL bro, she totally moved out there for school like two years ago.  
Adrien: You wouldn’t happen to have her number would you? We didn’t get a chance to talk and I'd love to catch up with her.  
Adrien snickered to himself at that line. If only Nino knew what actually happened he would flip.  
Nino: Aw man I’d totally give it to you if I had it, but she’s got a different phone in America,  
Nino: Do you still have Alya’s number?  
Nino: its 04.28.02.16.42  
Nino: if anyone has Marinette’s American number it’s Alya.  
Adrien: Thanks bro ur a real help  
Nino: i’ll be rooting for you two ;)

Fiercely blushing, Adrien didn’t want to think too much about what Nino meant with that last text. He always had some idea that Nino and Alya were trying to set them up in school, but he took it more as a friendly push for the ideal double date situation, nothing serious. Except now here he was, in New York, desperately trying to get the phone number of the girl whos kisses haunted his every waking moment. Adrien sighed holding his phone in his hand as he looked out the window at the city. Marinette was out there somewhere, hopefully thinking about him too.

Marinette was up late, working on homework for one of her classes when she got a message from Alya on her computer, make that 4 messages from Alya.

Marinette pulled up their chat.

Alya: Marinette, I just got a text from Adrien.  
Alya: he wants your phone number  
Alya: is something happening between you?  
Alya: Spill I want the deets.

Marinette sighed and typed out her response:

Mari: you got time to skype? I know it's late over there but it's kind of a long story.  
Alya: you know I do.

The computer rang and she answered  
“Hey Alya”

“Hey Guurrrrrrl”

“Still trying to make those deadlines?”

 

“Oh you know it, but we both know that's not what we’re here to talk about. You haven’t heard from Adrien in like 3 years and all of sudden he’s texting Nino and me to get your number. Spill! I want all the details.”

Marinette giggled and then began to tell Alya just what went down “Okay so 3 days ago I was spectating a photoshoot with my professor Hans Andersen. but then there was a problem. the model isn’t going to be on time so then before I know it, I'm going to be the replacement model. Since I'm the only one who will fit into the dress, and then  
I’m sent to hair and makeup, and I walk back up to the set only to see Adrien Agreste there.”

“Oh my god, Marinette you did not just model with Adrien did you!?!!” Alya shrieked quietly, in fear of waking her roommates.

“Hold on Alya, I'm not done yet.” Marinette said feeling the flush rise to her face ”then I’m sitting next to him, and they start talking about how this ad is supposed to be all about love, so they start us out just near each other but it’s not enough. They keep making us get closer and closer and then they make us kiss.”

“WHAT,” Alya said.

“5 times.” Marinette said coyly blushing into her pillow.

“MARINETTE DUPAIN CHENG YOU DID NOT WAIT 4 WHOLE DAYS TO TELL ME, YOUR BEST FRIEND THAT YOU KISSED YOUR LIFETIME CRUSH 5 TIMES,” Alya yelled, before remembering to readjust her volume.

“Alya… I'm sorry!. I didn’t even get to talk to him after, I had to go straight to class and then I got distracted by my work and now I'm here.” Marinette cried.

Alya sighed, chuckled and then asked: “Was he good?”

This time it was Marinette’s turn to be shocked.  
“Was he a good kisser?” Alya pushed.

Marinette paused to really think about it for the first time since it had happened. the few days had been so hectic with homework and projects and quizzes. she felt the blush come back to her face and sighed dreamily

“Yeah, he was really good. he was super gentle at first, almost like he was kind of stunned that I went in first”

“That’s my girl!” Alya proclaimed proudly to her empty room.

"…but then we got more comfortable and he got more passionate. I think he even reached for my waist at one point,” Marinette said thinking back to the burning sensation at her side.

“Gurl I’m so happy for you,” Alya said “I know you said you were over Adrien, but maybe this is your chance to actually grab him. “

“Yeah…” Marinette sighed happily.

“And Mari?”

“yes?”  
“send me those pics when you get them back because I gotta see this.”  
“oh you know I will Alya.” Marinette said with a devilish smile.

Alya sent Adrien Marinette’s phone number 5 days after they kissed. Adrien found himself in a weird position where he didn’t know exactly what to say to her. Alya had warned him that Marinette was pretty busy this time of year with classes, but that didn’t help him too much.

He wasn’t exactly going to send her a text that said:  
“Hey Marinette I really enjoyed kissing you, and I would like to do it again sometime, I am going to be in New York until late May, would you wanna maybe catch up and kiss me again?”

So instead what he went for was  
“Hey Marinette this is Adrien, I was wondering if you’d wanna grab a coffee and catch up sometime when you’re not too busy with class?

She got back to him the next day.

Marinette: omg yes i would love to, the next two weeks are looking pretty tight, I’ve got to create 5 outfits for class, but i would love to after that!

Adrien and Marinette made plans to meet in after she finished up her project, but that ended up not mattering after all because 2 weeks after they had the shoot, the ad was released.

The ad was originally printed in just a few magazines but when a major blog called Style Queen uploaded a picture of it and said  
“if these clothes can make anyone fall as deeply in love as this couple then it is surely actual magic.”

The post went on to talk about the upcoming Marchesa show and some of the other larger shows scheduled for fashion week but none of that mattered because the internet was suddenly obsessed with this beautiful couple seemingly perfect for each other.

When Alya first saw the picture, she immediately called Marinette and used a few of her precious international minutes to scream into Marinette’s ear. Marinette had only managed to annoy a few New Yorkers before successfully getting Alya to calm down. Even Though she was a little embarrassed by her viral kiss, Marinette was kind of proud that everyone online believed in the depth of her affection. Marinette always knew her love was true, and now the whole world did too.

Meanwhile, Nino had even told Adrien “Damn bro, it's really hard to believe that this is you and Mari, you look like gods or something.”

Adrien had to agree. The moment they managed to capture was so perfect it was unbelievable. Adrien only wished he could be as good of an actor as he appeared to be in the photo, but that expression and those feelings were entirely real. Like the flowering trees, Adrien’s heart was bursting with new life and lightness he hadn’t felt in a long time.  
Waiting to see Marinette was painful, but at least Adrien could take comfort in the fact that they would see each other soon. The Industry would never let the momentum of this ad go to waste. He would get to hold her again.

The only question was “When?’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is!!! I really loved drawing this and I hope you love it too. I am such trash for this beautiful couple


	4. At Last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At last Marinette and Adrien have a chance to reconnect, but it does not go as planned.

Adrien was right of course. The Fashion Industry was not one to waist viral success. They immediately set up another shoot with Adrien and Marinette for the next part of their romantic storytelling campaign. The original goal had been to use 3 unique couples, but ticket and event-related sales had been through the roof since the previous ad went viral. The people wanted more. 

This time the shoot was set in an Art Deco ballroom with marble floors. Illuminated by the large outside facing windows and a skylight where daylight streamed in, Marinette and Adrien found themselves together again. 

Even though they both knew the other would be there, it was a bit of a surprise to see each other. Photoshoot fashion was typically quite heightened. This time they had dressed Adrien in a lavender Armani suit with a collarless button-down shirt. Marinette was dressed in a sleek, simple, soft, and smooth white dress with an A-line skirt. Her hair was done and loosely curled at her shoulders. This time the ad was less about desire and more about adoration. 

They had been unable to get the same director as last time, but the photographer was back. Vincenzio greeted them both and immediately got to work. They instructed Adrien to lift Marinette up into the air and spin her around gently. Now that Marinette had been through one shoot, being in front of the camera was less stressful. She even managed to laugh a little while Adrien was spinning her in the air. Vincenzio instructed Marinette to hold onto Adrien’s shoulders while he held her above him before they were directed into sharing another kiss.   
This time the kiss was much smoother because they both knew it was coming.   
Marinette carefully grabbed hold of Adrien’s face and tilted it up to look at her. Adrien let her gentle hands guide him up. He looked through her soft spirals of hair to see her sparkling eyes and a warm smile. She was backlight with daylight as an almost magical soft blue glow. He slowly lowered her until her face was just above his. Adrien completely lost himself in the moment as she began to kiss him.   
If their first kissing secession had been nerve-wracking, passionate, and magical, their second was tender and natural. As if both of their bodies were sighing into their predestined state. Adrien was less shocked and more intentional in his movements. As Marinette paused for air, he let her rest her forehead against his. They quickly developed a rhythm that was comfortable and didn’t leave either one of too dizzy or gasping for air.   
And then, once again, it was all over, but this time, Adrien wasn’t going to let Marinette sprint away. After he set her down he held onto her hand as she started to slip from his grasp.

“next Wednesday?” he gently pleaded with her. 

“next Wednesday,” she confirmed with a nod of her head before turning away. 

Marinette was practically floating on her way home. She even missed her stop on the subway, twice. She was so hopelessly distracted by his kisses. She knew he was a good kisser from before, but this time it had been blissful. He anticipated her every need. Marinette allowed herself one more dreamy sigh before she buried herself back in her work. Her professor had allowed her to make time for this photo shoot on the condition that she wrote a paper about her experiences seeing this side of the industry. Which, added to her 4 other papers, meant she had a few days of intense writing to do. It was nothing she couldn’t handle… or so she thought. 

When Wednesday morning rolled around, Marinette nearly smashed her alarm clock with her fist before covering her head with her pillow. she had been up from 7 am to 3 am the past 4 nights to finish all of her written and design work. She was exhausted. Her head felt hot, but her body was still cold so pulled her covers closer. Marinette had plans to meet Adrien at 7 pm tonight at a french cafe that reminded her of home. It was only a few blocks away. She would surely wake up in time for that. 

Staff would report that Adrien was impossible to deal with on that Wednesday. He had the brightest smile on all day and could scarcely take his directions. After a few weeks of working in New York, he was getting tired of constantly exchanging pleasantries with people he only kind of knew. Tonight he was going to get to see Marinette! Sweet, kind, wonderful Marinette with beautiful blue eyes and magic lips. Scratch that last part, he wasn’t going to think about his friend's lips, or how amazing her kisses made him feel. Or about how the thought of each one coaxed him to keep moving until he could see her again. No, he wasn’t going to think about it. So instead he attempted to find other things to focus on and to contain his excitement. He failed miserably. 

At 4 pm Marinette still had not successfully dragged herself out of bed. Her hair was a mess, tied up in loose twin tails like she used to wear it. She wore in her pink and white gingham hello kitty pajama pants and a matching pink and white striped hello kitty pajama shirt. She was alternating between sleep, sneezing, and coughing. “At 6pm.,” she told herself, “I will get out of bed and get ready to see Adrien at 6 pm,”

It was 7 pm and Adrien was sitting waiting at a french cafe Marinette had suggested. It smelled just like the Dupain-Cheng home bakery. He could see why Marinette liked it so much. He waited for her to show up, but figured that since she was a little clumsy, and that it was New York, she might be late. By 7:15 Adrien was concerned. He knew Marinette had been living in New York for a few years, but she was a small beautiful girl in a big city, so to ease his anxiety about her safety he gave her a call.

“Helloo?” she answered groggily following immediately with a rough cough. 

“Marinette, are you okay? I’m at the cafe.. and”

“oh my god,” she coughed again “ Adrien I am so sorry, I was supposed to get up and get ready an hour ago but I think I really overdid it with school last week. I’ve been sick all day today”

“Have you eaten anything?” Adrien asked.   
Marinette paused to think. “No, I don’t think so,” she said.

“Okay then I’m going to order some soup for you and bring it over” 

Marinette started to say “oh no Adrien you don’t have to do that! I can get up and grab something from my fridge and we can reschedule to another day when..” when Adrien interrupted her.

“Please Marinette,” he said “ I want to see you tonight. Send me your address okay?”

Marinette knew she was already feeling warm from being sick, but at that line from Adrien, she felt some heat rise to her cheeks. “okay.” she squeaked. 

“I'll see you soon Marinette,” he said as he hung up the phone. 

Marinette sat up in bed and slowly pushed herself out of her warm spot and walked over to her vanity. She may be sick, but if Adrien was going to come over, she was still going to brush out her twin tails and try to fix up her hair a little. After she decided she looked as good as she was going to get, Marinette cleared off some of her design sketches from the couch and sat down to wait for Adrien. 

Adrien arrived at Marinette’s studio apartment at about 7:40 pm, with some warm soup and a take-out container at his side. He didn’t know why he felt so nervous to just knock on her door. He didn’t need to be, Marinette was just an old friend. 

Adrien raised his hand and knocked on the door, only to be surprised by the small and weakened form of Marinette opening the door. She was dressed head to toe in soft pink pajamas, and despite her sick voice and bags under her eyes, Adrien was absolutely taken aback by her beauty. 

“hey”  
“hi”  
“I know you’re not feeling well but I just needed to see you.”  
“no that’s okay Adrien. You’re welcome here.” Marinette replied still standing in the door frame.  
“I brought you some soup and fresh bread.” He offered softly, leaning over her just slightly.  
“Oh thank you. You know that I meant it when I said you didn’t have to.,” she said awkwardly looking to the ground. They pause in an uncomfortable moment before Adrien interrupts the silence. He sighed and spoke suddenly with passion,  
“Marinette, since the moment you walked back into my life, I have not been able to stop thinking about you.”  
Marinette looked up to see Adrien’s eyes, shining with heightened emotion. So soft green and swirling.   
“I’m sorry. Do you mind if I just… I need to… “  
“Wha...” is all Marinette can get out before he leans over and tries to kiss her softly. 

Marinette starts to lose herself in the moment. She can feel her body reaching for his kiss before she stops and realizes she can’t. At the last minute she turns her head so that Adrien ends up kissing her on the cheek. “no Adrien, you can’t. you’ll get sick.” she says disappointedly.  
“I don’t care about that,” he smirks before his face turns to genuine apologetic “but I’m sorry I should’ve asked if I could kiss you first” 

“Adrien” Marinette says suddenly very seriously, “You are welcome to kiss me at any time” 

“well in that case..” he says as he reaches down to hold her cheek, “I’d like to kiss you now...and now...and also... now” Each time kissing her gently over and over again. Marinette drinks each one in, barely managing not to giggle girlishly.

“Adrien,” She says sweetly.   
“What?” he asks breathlessly.   
“Would you like to come inside?” she asks as she takes a step back and pushes the door open.  
“oh... yes,” he breathes, following her lead and reaching for her waist.

They connect for another kiss and another as they walk into her tiny apartment. Adrien pushes the door closed behind them with his foot. After they are satisfied with the number of kisses they’ve shared, They just hold each other, not wanting to part. They move to the small couch where Adrien chats with Marinette while she eats her soup. They end up snuggling on the couch, just content to be in each others company. Marinette eventually falls asleep in his arms. Adrien wouldn’t dare move this sleeping angel who somehow with just a few kisses became his entire world, So he stays at her side until he falls asleep. 

That is just how they find themselves the next morning. 

Marinette is hugging his side and Adrien is cradling her in his arms. Adrien finds his voice is a little scratchy the next morning when he wakes Marinette up with a gentle kiss on the forehead. Her beautiful bluebell eyes flutter open and look up at him in wonder as she says quietly, “You’re really here.”

“I am” Adrien smiles warmly. Marinette pulls gently on his shirt and buries her face in his chest, before turning her head and looking out her window. “You know I used to have the most embarrassingly big crush on you in school.”  
“Really?” Adrien says incredulously.  
A surprised Marinette turns back to face Adrien “Yes! I thought you knew! I could hardly talk to you without blushing and I even kept that silly broken umbrella you gave me!”  
Adrien paused, “Wait...the umbrella from the first day we met?”  
“Yeah…” Marinette replied softly. “And here you are, Just when I thought I was finally over you.”  
“Well that's funny,” Adrien says “and poor timing, because I'm pretty sure I have an embarrassingly big crush on you.” Marinette giggles and leans up to briefly kiss Adrien.  
“Do you think you could learn to fall for me again?” he asks.  
“I already have” she replies, kissing him once more.   
“That will never get old” he sighs contentedly.   
Marinette laughs as she nestles back into place. Adrien and Marinette stay snuggled up together as long as they can. Eventually they will have to face the outside world and the consequences of Adrien staying overnight without telling Natalie, but for now, there is just this beautiful moment where they are finally together and their hearts are in sync.

When it comes time for him to leave, Adrien sits up and picks up the shoes he kicked off last night. Marinette sits up too but wraps herself in blankets to hold on to the warmth.   
“Marinette I'm going back to Paris for the next week,” Adrien states “but the week after that, would maybe want to get dinner? We can go anywhere, I really don’t care where. I’d just really like to go on a proper date with you.” 

“That would be great Adrien,” Marinette says smiling dreamily.

“I’ll have you know that I'm a proper gentleman. Normally, I try to buy a girl flowers before we kiss,” he says standing to put on his shoes.

Marinette giggles “I love flowers.” 

“Then you will have all of the most beautiful flowers I can find.” He says as he leans down to the couch to give Marinette one last long drawn out kiss. 

“I would love that.” She says. 

Adrien pauses, thinks, and then smiles and asks Marinette “How come I had to come all the way to New York just to find you? “

Marinette laughs “I don’t know, but my parents will be ecstatic when I come back from the US with a Parisian guy who speaks Chinese.”

This time it's Adrien’s turn to laugh.

Adrien makes it about two steps out of her apartment before Marinette, still wrapped in blankets, grabs his hand and pulls him inside for one last goodbye kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, y'all I hope you enjoyed this short fic. This is the last plot-driven chapter but there will be an epilogue coming up next. 
> 
> Thank you so much for all of your supportive comments!
> 
> Also, I would like to mention that parts of this scene are inspired by the last episode of the "Kissing in the Rain" web series directed by Yulin Kuang. Which, if you are a big softie like me, I highly recommend.


	5. Epilogue

The second Adrien gets back from Paris he hops on the subway to see her. When she leaves her last class and sees him standing there, she surprises him by running up and giving him a giant hug and a kiss on the cheek. When they’re done, she slides her arm in his and walks with him to Madison Square Park. They spend all evening together talking and hanging out before they catch the subway to Marinette’s apartment. At Marinette’s they break out some french champangé to celebrate the start of something new for the both of them. Marinette makes Adrien swear he’ll come to see her again before she sends him off to his hotel room, not wanting to get on Natalie’s bad side. 

Adrien surprises Marinette again at her lunch break. She wonders how he got access to her class schedule, but has a feeling Hans or Natalie had something to do with it.

Adrien and Marinette continue spending every moment they can together up until Marinette’s spring break.

Marinette had originally planned on being in Paris for the entire week. When Adrien found out, he cleared his entire schedule to be with her. Which Marinette lovingly scolded him for, though she would have done the same. Her parents loved him before but were even more happy to see him finally returning their daughters love. Nino and Alya are more than pleased judged by the constant teasing and high fives, and frankly, Marinette could not be happier. 

Sure she may be dating Adrien long distance, but she once waited 8 years just to kiss him, and it was so much better than she ever expected, so she can be patient. Plus, for some reason the French press just can’t seem to figure out, Adrien has been taking a lot more modeling jobs in New York lately. 

Fin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the support and your patience in reading through this fic. I really enjoyed writing it and I am already working on a few others!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi Everyone!!!!  
> This is the first ever fic I've written and completed.  
> I have no beta reader or anything so if you see errors please message me, I am not the best at catching my mistakes. I hope you all love it as much as I did when I had the idea. <3 <3 <3


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